About

turning our gaze to the women who pass us by through intimate portraits, curated recommendations, and more

passerby is an online magazine and community that celebrates the women who pass us by.

Since 2015, passersby from all over the world have welcomed us into their homes, offering honest looks into their lives—the unconventional paths, mistakes, and small victories—as well as their book, film, and music libraries. Conceived by Clémence Polès, passerby was born from her curiosity about the women she encountered all too briefly while people-watching. Wanting to hear from the people who sat beside her on the subway, from those who served her coffee or passed her on the sidewalk, she set out to broaden the scope of typical media portrayals, asking the women she saw to speak with her.

Hundreds of conversations later, passerby has become a venue for a diversity of perspectives, a driver of creative exchange, and a home for a community of worldwide passersby. passerby pushes against traditional narratives of who is seen and what can be discussed, providing a rare space for reflection on an increasingly busy internet.

about the founder & photographer

"passerby sprung from my love of people watching. Every stroll is an aesthetic adventure. I would notice myself thinking about the passersby, wondering about their personalities, homes, jobs, what they surround themselves with; just about anything. “I wonder what books she's reading?”, “Where is she heading?” "What kind of music is she into?' The idea developed from my curiosity of knowing more about the lives of the people we encounter all too briefly as we pass each other by.” - Clémence Polès

about the managing editor

Meghan Racklin is a writer and editor based in Brooklyn. Her writing has appeared in the LA Review of Books Quarterly, The New Republic, and The Baffler, among other places. Find more of her writing here.

what people are saying about us

“Clemence Poles’ voyeuristic (in the best way) site reveals the habits, routines, objects, and places that inspire those around her, and offers up a glimpse behind closed doors of a diverse range of women in her Rolodex. Perusing passerby feels much like a stroll through Manhattan at the end of the day, a time to create narratives about those you see on the street, but in her world, we get to join them at home where they reveal what they find interesting and engaging.”

— CAP Beauty

“Imagine if all of Craigslist was made up of your cool and stylish Instagram mutuals, and you'd have the Passerby discord. This recommendation is basically a conduit to another recommendation vehicle. You can find New York and Paris (and elsewhere) sublets in the best neighborhoods that are furnished by people who get paid well for their good taste, and which aren't found on, say, Facebook marketplace, because the generally tight-knit nature of the group means a trusted renter base. The #fashion channel errs towards suggestions equally weighted by relevance and timelessness, in that particular narrowly coded style that some dressers dress for—can you tell I'm doing everything in my power not to say the girls that get it get it?”

— laura reilly for perfectly imperfect

“For style with substance, follow this account for the scoop on what cool girls are wearing, listening to, reading, and more.”

— Refinery29

“Clémence visits women in their homes, takes pictures, and asks their recommendations on what to read, what to cook, where to eat, and just general insider tips. I think I have read each post all about 2x over, even my boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend’s! On the site, the entries can be sorted by occupation or city/neighborhood; it’s immediately clear that she hasn’t just interviewed 12 creative directors and 9 brand ambassadors.”

— Lauren Servideo, comedian

“Passerby is a wonderful repository of profiles and recommendations from a wide range of voices.”

— Why is this interesting?

“Passerby is full of smart, interesting women and everyone should read it.”

— Lynette Nylander, DAZED editor

“Clémence Polès set out on a project to find out more about the many mysterious, interesting women we pass by on the street everyday. She created a site that operates partly as an intimate journal of these women’s lives and shoppable experience for readers”